Just a Short vacation
by daviderl
Summary: BtVS...Charmed Crossover. Willow decides to vacation in San Francisco. While there, she meets the Charmed Ones and finds out some disturbing facts about Whitelighters protecting witches except those in Sunnydale. Her anger resurrects the Evil Willow with


23 Aug 2003  
  
Just A Short Vacation  
  
Prologue  
  
"I guess you two felt it also." Piper said as Phoebe walked into the kitchen.  
  
"We did." Phoebe answered. "And it was really hard on Paige. You and I have gone through this before, but I think it was the first time she's ever experienced sensing another witch dying. She threw up a couple of times."  
  
"She's not still in the bathroom, is she?"  
  
"No, I put her to bed and held her until she fell asleep. That helped me, too. But what about you?"  
  
"Leo and I consoled each other for a while. He said the Elders were pretty upset about it, too."  
  
"Do they know what happened?"  
  
"A witch living in Sunnydale was killed by a mortal. But that wasn't the end, or the worst, of it. Another witch was with her, a really powerful one, who took it so hard she turned evil, and is looking for revenge."  
  
"But why didn't her Whitelighter didn't save her?"  
  
"I asked Leo that very same question. He said long ago the Elders decided to stop sending Whitelighters to Sunnydale."  
  
"But WHY? That's so stupid! Don't they think witches in Sunnydale need protecting, too?"  
  
"He said it was because Sunnydale sits over a Hellmouth, or THE Hellmouth, and Whitelighter magic doesn't work like it's supposed to, and too many of them had been killed trying to protect their charges."  
  
"Do they want us to do anything?"  
  
"No. Leo said a coven over in England temporarily imbued a mortal with their powers then transported him to Sunnydale to do whatever he can to stop her. But I guess we should be ready, just in case."  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Buffy, I just need to get away for a while. I realize you're the one whose been doing most of the fighting against the demons and vamps and all, but I don't have your strength. I'm just tired and I need a break from all this."  
  
"Well, sure, Will, I can understand that. You have any place in particular in mind?"  
  
"Actually, I was thinking about going to San Francisco for a few days or so, maybe a week."  
  
"That sounds good. From what I've heard it's a pretty nice place to visit. You have relatives there?"  
  
"No, but there is a lot of Wiccan activity there, and I'd kind of like to connect with some other witches. After Tara died I thought maybe Amy and I could be witchy buds, but since THAT didn't work out, well, I've felt kind of isolated. You know?"  
  
"Sure. You go on to San Francisco, make some new friends, and just have a good time."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Willow got off the bus and noticed right away how much cooler it was than in Sunnydale. But it was a bright, sunny day, and just the change of scenery perked up her spirits.  
  
"Now," she said to herself, "If I were a witch, where would I hang out, especially if I wanted to meet other witches? Coffee house? Night club? Park?"  
  
After putting her suitcase in a locker until she could find someplace to stay, she bought a city map, sat down on a bus stop bench, and started looking over the map, trying to get her bearings.  
  
After ten or fifteen minutes she noticed she was being watched by a seedy looking individual, but she ignored him, hoping he'd leave her alone. But after a few minutes, he walked over and sat down next to her on the bench. She continued to study the map, pretending he wasn't there.  
  
"You lost?" He asked.  
  
Willow shook her head. "No," she answered still looking down at the map.  
  
"Lived here all my life." He continued. "Anyplace you want to go, I know how to get there."  
  
"No thanks."  
  
The man reached out as if to take the map from her. Willow looked up at him and allowed her eyes to flash red for barely a second.  
  
"I said NO!"  
  
The man hurriedly got up and walked away.  
  
"Jerk." Willow said after him, then went back to the map.  
  
She read over the map for another fifteen minutes, looked around, looked back at the map, looked up again, then decided where she wanted to go. According to the map, the park she wanted was too far to walk, so she opted to take a taxi.  
  
The park was every bit as nice as any in Sunnydale, "And -- no demons or vamps." She said out loud. "A real plus if there ever was one."  
  
Willow bought a hot dog and a soda from a vendor and just wandered through the park looking for small groups of women, who might be witches, and who might be having Wiccan meetings. She didn't find any.  
  
By late afternoon, she knew she would have to go back to the bus station to retrieve her suitcase and then find someplace to spend the night.  
  
Rather than walk the long way back around to her entry point to the park, she decided it would be faster to cut through a small stand of trees, twenty-five or thirty yards across. She was almost halfway through when she heard someone running towards her, then she heard more footsteps, as if someone was chasing after the first one.  
  
Just then the first runner, an oddly dressed man(?) with bright red and yellow skin, with small horns curving up from his temples, ran past her. As he did, he turned and threw a fireball behind him, which hit a tree and burned through it, toppling it over.  
  
Next came the second runner, a small woman with long brown hair. She dodged the falling tree, then threw out both hands. Immediately the "man" exploded in a ball of flame and sparks, then was gone.  
  
And then the woman saw Willow, watching what had just happened.  
  
"Well, HI!" The woman said with obvious phony friendliness. "I guess you're wondering what just happened here. Well, there's a perfectly logical explanation."  
  
Then almost to herself, she added, "And just as soon as I can think of one I'll let you know what it is."  
  
Willow smiled. "That's okay. I think I know what happened. You're a witch and that was an evil demon."  
  
"A witch! And a demon? Don't be ridiculous! There's no such thing as witches and demons!"  
  
"Sure there are. I'm one too -- a witch, that is."  
  
"Oh, of course you are." Piper said, "I should have realized."  
  
"No, really. Watch."  
  
Willow pointed at a small sapling struggling to grow in the gloominess of the shade. As she did, the tree was transformed into a flowering plant, sprouting up six feet tall with red, white and yellow roses growing from it.  
  
Piper's eyes got large at the unexpected sight.  
  
"Oh." Was all she could think of to say.  
  
"I'm Willow."  
  
"Well, Hi, Willow. I'm Piper. Very nice magic. It's good to see something beautiful coming from magic, for a change."  
  
"I've been looking for witches all day long. Are you a member of a coven?"  
  
"No, it's just me and my two sisters. We don't associate with other witches, it's too dangerous for them."  
  
"Too dangerous? Why?"  
  
"That demon you saw me vanquish, he's one of the reasons. We're not exactly on The Source's 'Most Beloved Top Ten' list."  
  
"The Source?"  
  
"Yeah - the source of All Evil."  
  
"Oh. Over in Sunnydale we call him, or her, 'The First,' as in the First Evil."  
  
"You're from Sunnydale?"  
  
"Yep. Thought I'd get away for awhile; try to hook up with some other witches. It's kind of lonely being just about the only good witch there."  
  
"I heard there were witches in Sunnydale."  
  
"Yeah, a few, but none you'd want to hang out with. Most of them are kind of bad, always looking to score some powerful black magicks, kind of like drug addicts."  
  
Piper nodded. "But not you."  
  
"No. Well, not anymore. It did get pretty bad for me there for awhile, but thanks to some very good friends, unwitchy friends, I made it through okay."  
  
"That's good. I always like happy endings."  
  
They both fell silent, not knowing what else to say.  
  
Finally Willow said, "Well, I guess I'd better go. I left my suitcase at the bus station, and I need to find a place to stay for the night."  
  
"Okay. Good Luck. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."  
  
"Sure. Maybe."  
  
Willow got a half dozen steps away when Piper stopped her.  
  
"Look, there's no need for you to find a hotel room, we have plenty of room at the manor. You're more than welcome to stay with us. And I know Phoebe and Paige won't mind, in fact I'm sure they'd love to meet another witch."  
  
"Phoebe? Paige? Oh, my God! I should have known it when you said your name was Piper! You're the Charmed Ones!"  
  
"You've heard of us?"  
  
"Are you kidding! You're like Superstars! Ever since I got interested in magic I always hoped to meet you guys some day! This is just about the most amazing thing there ever was!"  
  
Piper smiled indulgently. "It's not really such a big deal, we're still just people, with all our little problems and our sisterly spats."  
  
"Well, it's a big deal to me! Buffy just WON'T believe it!"  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah, my best friend. She's the Sla-a really good friend."  
  
"My car isn't too far away. We'll go get your things, and then we'll head home."  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Phoebe! Paige! I'm home!" Piper yelled as they entered the manor.  
  
"Out here! In the Sun Room!" Phoebe yelled back.  
  
"Hey, Sis." Paige said as Piper entered the room. "Where've you been?" Then she and Phoebe saw Willow come in.  
  
"Out vanquishing demons." Piper answered.  
  
"We have company!" Phoebe said, with a pointed 'what-in-the-Hell-are-you- saying-in-front-of-her?' look on her face.  
  
"She was just making a joke." Phoebe said to Willow, trying to gloss over Piper's apparent slip-up.  
  
"It's okay. She knows who we are." Piper said.  
  
"She KNOWS?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Uh huh," Willow said. "You're the Charmed Ones."  
  
"The Charmed WHO?" Paige asked, still trying to cover.  
  
"She knows." Piper said again. "She's a witch too, from Sunnydale. Everyone, this is Willow. Willow, my sisters, Paige and Phoebe."  
  
"Oh, well, welcome to San Francisco." Phoebe said. "Can we get you anything? Tea? Soda? Water?"  
  
"No thanks, I'm fine."  
  
"Sunnydale, huh?" Paige said. "Heard some real horror stories about that place. Decided to get out while the getting was good?"  
  
"No." Willow replied. "I'm just here for a few days, just a short vacation. After a while all the vamp and demon killing starts wearing you down."  
  
"No kidding." Phoebe agreed.  
  
"She happened to be in the park and was an eye witness to the vanquishing." Piper explained. "I thought I was really going to have to do some quick explaining, but she was cool about it."  
  
"Yeah," Willow concurred. "We've killed more than our share of demons."  
  
"We?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Our Scoobie group - me, Buffy and Xander, and sometimes Anya."  
  
"Scoobie group?"  
  
"It's kind of a in-joke. Buffy's the Slayer and we've all been helping out whenever we could for the past six years or so."  
  
"Buffy's a vampire slayer?" Piper asked. "Quite an interesting little group you have there. Do the others have special powers, too?"  
  
"Well, Anya's a former Vengeance Demon, but Xander's just an ordinary guy. But he does his part, too."  
  
"So, then actually just you and Buffy have the powers, and the rest are just along for the ride?" Paige asked.  
  
"Well, sort of. OH! And there's Spike, too. He's a vampire, but he had this modification chip put in his brain by some secret government outfit, so he can't hurt people. But he can kill demons."  
  
"A witch, a Slayer, a Vengeance Demon, a vampire, and a mortal." Paige mused. "And all fighting on the same side against evil. If it were anywhere but Sunnydale I'd say you were a few boards short of a house."  
  
"Good old Sunnydale." Willow agreed. "No place like home."  
  
"Well, as much as I'd like to chit chat a little longer, I need to take a shower and get downtown to open up." Piper said.  
  
"Open up?"  
  
"P3. It's a night club we own. But since I'm the manager, I'm the one who does all the work. Maybe later on you can talk one or both of them into bringing you down for a while."  
  
"Yeah, I'd like that."  
  
"And I need to fine tune tomorrow's column, so I will be upstairs." Phoebe said.  
  
"She writes an advice column for the lovelorn." Paige told Willow. "So, since I'm the only one without a real job, I get to do the cooking. Care to join me in the kitchen?"  
  
"Sure. I'm sure there's something I can help out with."  
  
"How are you with potions?" Paige asked as they entered the kitchen. "This is where we cook up all of ours."  
  
"I don't do them much any more. For a while there, when I was just beginning, most of them ended up as really foul smelling soup."  
  
Paige gave Willow some potatoes to peel as she chopped carrots and onions to start a pot of soup.  
  
"Anyone special back in Sunnydale?"  
  
"Not really, not now. I used to have a girlfriend, but she died."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry."  
  
"How about you guys? Any boyfriends, girlfriends?"  
  
"Well, Phoebe and I have guys we go out with sometimes, but Piper's the lucky one."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. She's got this really great husband. They were just made for each other. You'll meet him later on."  
  
"What kind of work does he do?"  
  
"Oh, he doesn't work. He's our Whitelighter."  
  
"Your what?"  
  
Seeing the confused look on Willow's face, Paige repeated herself.  
  
"Our Whitelighter. You know -White - Lighter."  
  
"I don't know what that is."  
  
"How could you not know what a Whitelighter is? All witches have them, at least all good witches. You ARE a good witch, aren't you?"  
  
"I think so. But I still don't know what they are. What do they do?"  
  
"They protect witches, guide them if necessary, and heal them if they get hurt. I know you must have one."  
  
"Have one what?" Piper said as she joined them.  
  
"A Whitelighter! Willow says she doesn't have one. Says she's never heard of them."  
  
"She probably hasn't. She's from Sunnydale, and witches in Sunnydale don't have Whitelighters, remember? We talked about this last year when that witch was killed there."  
  
"I remember when it happened, and how horrible it made me feel, but we never talked about it."  
  
"We didn't? Then I guess it was Phoebe I was talking to."  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Willow asked.  
  
"Maybe you should call Leo," Paige suggested. "and let him explain it to her. I'd kind of like to know myself."  
  
"Well, there's really not much to explain. As I recall, Leo said that so many Whitelighters were being killed in Sunnydale trying to protect their charges, THEY decided it was too dangerous to send any more of them there."  
  
"How could it be too dangerous?"  
  
"It had something to do with the Hellmouth and the way it interfered with Whitelighter magic."  
  
"Well, that just sucks!"  
  
"What sucks?" Phoebe asked as she came into the kitchen.  
  
"No Whitelighters in Sunnydale." Paige told her.  
  
"Yeah, I know. We talked about that back when that witch was killed some time ago."  
  
"NO! We did NOT talk about it. You and Piper did. This is the first I've heard about it."  
  
As the sisters were discussing who talked to whom, Willow was getting an uncomfortable feeling inside. Some disturbing thought in the back of her mind was trying to make itself known, trying to tell her something.  
  
Then slowly the realization came to her.  
  
"Are you saying that witches are suppose to be protected by these Whitelighters, but because Sunnydale is so dangerous they just said to HELL with them? Let them die! WHO CARES?"  
  
At the sound of the growing anger in Willow's voice, they looked at her with some alarm.  
  
"It wasn't exactly like that . . . ." Piper tried to explain, but Willow wasn't hearing her.  
  
"So because of their stupid fear, my Tara, my Baby, had to DIE?"  
  
As Willow's anger increased, and as her voice got louder, the sisters' alarm was turning into more than just concern as they watched Willow's hair and eyes begin to darken.  
  
"My God," Piper said. "It's her - she's the one who turned evil!"  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Who did this?" Willow's words were now slow and measured, and her voice had become steely and hard. "Who's responsible for letting Tara die?"  
  
As she spoke, Willow was slowly walking toward them, and they were backing away.  
  
"Willow, you have to understand, no one LET Tara die! This was a decision made many years ago." Piper said.  
  
But Willow was beyond listening to explanations. Instead she threw out one hand out toward Piper and she was caught in an invisible grip and lifted off the floor.  
  
"Tell me, NOW!"  
  
Seeing Piper in danger, both Phoebe and Paige started to attack, but Willow used Piper's body as a weapon and knocked both of them back against the kitchen wall.  
  
Then out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw bright, shining sparkles beginning to take on a human shape. Leo had sensed Piper was in danger and was orbing in. Willow immediately released Piper and captured Leo.  
  
As soon as he felt the magical grip, Leo tried orbing away, but Willow's magic was too strong.  
  
"You're not going anywhere, not until I find out what I need to know!"  
  
"It was the Elders, they made the decision!" Piper yelled out, hoping Willow would release Leo.  
  
"Then take me to them, NOW!" Willow demanded of Leo.  
  
"NO!" Leo replied.  
  
Willow increased the pressure. "TAKE ME TO THEM!"  
  
Piper was back on her feet, and even though she didn't want to, she knew the only way to stop Willow from killing Leo, and maybe all of them, was to vanquish her.  
  
Her hands went out, sending the power to make Willow explode, but Willow sensed it coming, and with her free hand sent out a shield of energy that not only blocked it, but slammed the three of them back against the wall again.  
  
But this temporary distraction was just enough to loosen Willow's grip on Leo, just enough to enable him to orb out.  
  
Willow, enraged, turned back to face Piper, Phoebe and Paige.  
  
"You'll pay for that!" She yelled at them, and with her hands down next to her thighs, palms turned to the front, she released two short, solid streams of searing, white hot energy.  
  
"The Power of Three!" Piper screamed, and at once the three witches began chanting, "The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!"  
  
As they chanted, a sphere of energy surrounded them, absorbing the blasts from Willow.  
  
"That's IT?" Willow exclaimed contemptuously, "THAT'S the magic of the Charmed Ones - you hide inside your little bubble? Well, then it time you found out what REAL magic is!"  
  
"The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free," they continued chanting.  
  
And again Willow let loose with the two torrents of the deadly firestorm. But rather than short bursts, she poured out a steady stream for thirty, forty, sixty seconds, but it was still being absorbed harmlessly.  
  
When Willow finally stopped, she was even angrier, but she was beginning to tire as her powers were being used up.  
  
"Okay, that's the way you want it; fine with me!"  
  
"The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!"  
  
And once again Willow attacked, but this time with single blasts from each hand that merged into one larger and more powerful orb that exploded uselessly against the energy field generated by the chant of three witches.  
  
After nearly a minute Willow was forced to stop. She was almost drained, leaving her exhausted and completely defenseless. She fell back against the kitchen sink, trying to stay on her feet.  
  
"Now's your chance!" Paige yelled at Piper. "Do her!"  
  
But rather than exploding her, Piper froze Willow where she stood.  
  
"What are you doing?" Paige exclaimed. "I thought you were going to blow her up."  
  
"I can't do that." Piper answered. "She not evil, not really."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Phoebe chimed in. "She tried to kill us! How much more does she have to do?"  
  
"She's ANGRY, Phoebe, not evil. Can't you guys tell the difference? I felt the same way, exactly the same way, when Prue died. I wanted to go right out and hunt down and kill the Source, but I had you two, and Leo, to keep me here. Otherwise, I would have done something really stupid and would probably have gotten myself killed in the process. So we can't kill her, we have to help her."  
  
"Okay then, how?" Paige asked. "You know once you unfreeze her, her powers will regenerate and we'll be right back where we were."  
  
"I know. But we have to think of something."  
  
While they were thinking, they half-heartedly were trying to clean up some of the destruction scattered throughout the kitchen. It was then that Leo orbed back, and was immediately in Piper's arms.  
  
After the reunion, and assurances that everyone was all right, Leo told them that he had been talking to the Elders about the situation.  
  
"When Tara was killed, she was shot through directly the heart, and she died even as she fell. It wouldn't have mattered if a dozen Whitelighters were standing right next to her, they couldn't have saved her."  
  
"Then we have to tell Willow that, and just hope she believes us." Piper said.  
  
"How are you going to unfreeze her long enough to tell her without her powers coming back?" Paige asked. "Because if she doesn't believe you, we could be in serious trouble."  
  
"Then I'll just unfreeze her head. Some of her powers will start to come back, but if I have to, I can freeze her again before she gets too powerful."  
  
With a small gesture, Willow's head was unfrozen and right away she began to threaten them with torture and death.  
  
"Will you LISTEN a minute?" Piper asked, a little aggravated. "It wouldn't have done any good if there was a Whitelighter right next to her, her death came too fast."  
  
"You're lying and you know it! You're just trying to . . . ."  
  
Piper had had enough, and refroze Willow's head.  
  
"So now what do we do?" Paige asked.  
  
"Good question!"  
  
After a few minutes, Phoebe spoke up.  
  
"Uh, Guys, I think I have an idea."  
  
"Let's hear it.'  
  
"Well, on occasion we've called Grams and Mom from the other side, so why can't we call Tara? Maybe if Willow hears it from her, she'll believe there was nothing anyone could have done."  
  
"EXCELLENT suggestion!" Piper all but yelled out. "Leo, give us a minute or two to get to the attic, then orb Willow up there. If she unfreezes, I'll be there to freeze her again."  
  
Paige and Phoebe lit and set candles in a large circle as Piper found the page in the Book of Shadows that had the spell they use to call spirits from the other side.  
  
When everyone was ready, Piper read the words:  
  
Hear these words  
Hear my cry  
Spirit from the other side  
Come to me  
I summon thee  
Cross now the great divide  
  
There was a swirling mist within the candles that took on human shape and then standing in the center was Tara.  
  
"Hi," Piper said, smiling. "I'm Piper, that's Phoebe, Paige, and Leo. I guess you know why you're here."  
  
"I do." Tara replied, looking at the frozen Willow.  
  
Piper gestured and Willow's head was once again unfrozen. But before she could start her tirade, Tara spoke.  
  
"Willow, it's me. I have to talk to you, to explain."  
  
"NO! It's a trick! I know all about illusions!"  
  
"No," Tara said quietly. "I'm really here."  
  
"You can leave the circle of candles, but only for a little while." Piper told her. Tara gave her an appreciative smile and as she passed through the boundary, she became solid.  
  
"You're not fooling me!" Willow spat out. "I know what you're all up to!"  
  
Tara walked over to Willow, took her face gently in her hands, turned it up slightly, and tenderly kissed her lips.  
  
"No." Willow feebly tried to protest. "I know it's a trick."  
  
Tara kissed her softly again, and then a third time.  
  
By now, tears were beginning to moisten Willow's eyes as she whispered her protests.  
  
Tara put her arms around the stiff, statue-like Willow. Then she looked over at Piper, her eyes asking that Willow be unfrozen.  
  
With barely a hesitation, Piper complied.  
  
Willow's arms instinctively encircled Tara's waist, and she began to sob uncontrollably as the most important person in her life held her lovingly to her.  
  
Gradually Willow's hair began to return to its former red color.  
  
Silently, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo left the attic and closed the door behind them.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
After a few minutes, Tara backed away enough so she could look at Willow and wipe away her tears.  
  
"Oh, Baby, I've missed you so much!" Willow cried.  
  
"I know. And I've missed you, but you can't keep trying to kill everything just because you do."  
  
"I don't know what happened to me! I thought I had everything under control, but when I heard what they were saying about you dying when you should have been protected, and calling you 'that witch' and - I don't know, I just lost it."  
  
"There was nothing anyone could have done. The bullet passed through my heart. I think I was dead before I ever hit the floor."  
  
At these words Willow began crying again, her arms back around Tara, her face buried in her neck.  
  
Tara let her cry a little longer, then once again, pulled away.  
  
"There's something else." She told Willow.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You have to move on. You need to find someone else."  
  
"NO! I could NEVER do that!"  
  
"Yes, you can, and you have to."  
  
"Why are you saying this? I don't want anyone else. I could never love anybody but you."  
  
Tara smiled patiently.  
  
"Do you remember when Oz left? How you felt? You thought you'd never love again."  
  
"Yes, but . . . ."  
  
"But I came along, and you did fall in love again. But you still loved Oz."  
  
"I know, but . . . ." Willow was almost whispering now.  
  
"So you have to let it happen again. If you fall in love with someone else it won't mean you'll love me any less. You'll just be loving someone who can be with you, and can love you back."  
  
"But . . . ."  
  
"Willow, the saddest thing I can think of is you living your life alone, without someone to love and to be loved by. Please don't do that to yourself. I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow, or next week, or even next year, but don't close yourself off. If you meet someone you're attracted to, open up to them, give them a chance. Will you do that? For me?"  
  
Willow's head was down and she nodded, unable to look Tara in the eyes.  
  
Then Tara stepped back, and Willow panicked.  
  
"NO! Don't go! Not yet!"  
  
"I can stay a little longer, but only for a short while."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The four of them went back into the kitchen and began again to clean up the mess - food all over the floor, broken bowls and plates and glasses and silverware scattered everywhere. They decided not to worry about the scorch marks on the floor and walls, and the cracked plaster walls and ceiling until the next day, or the day after.  
  
Piper called P3 to tell her assistant manager she wouldn't be in that night.  
  
Afterward they went into the living room to wait for Willow.  
  
"She must have loved Tara very much to lose control like that." Paige said.  
  
"I wonder which hurts more, losing someone you've spent your whole life with, or losing someone you want to spend the rest of your life with." Phoebe asked no one in particular.  
  
"I'm sure one hurts just as much as the other." Piper answered.  
  
For a while no one spoke, but all were thinking about Willow, and wondering if she would be all right.  
  
They heard her slowly come down the stairs. It took her a while to find them in the living room.  
  
"She's gone." Willow said, her voice barely above a whisper. "She had to go back."  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Not really, but I will be, after a while. I guess I better go. I'm sure the sooner I get out of your sight . . . ."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. You can't leave now. We were just getting to know one another."  
  
"Like you really want to be around someone who turns into an evil thing and tries to kill you?"  
  
"We've all changed into evil beings at one time or another." Piper said. "I was a Wendigo and Phoebe was a banshee."  
  
"I was a vampire." Paige put in.  
  
"Even Prue was changed into a dog." Phoebe said.  
  
"And a man." Piper added.  
  
"Prue?"  
  
"She was our older sister, and she was killed by the Source." Piper explained. "It was hard losing her. Just as hard as it was for you to lose Tara."  
  
"I don't know about you guys," Paige said, trying to change the somber mood. "But I'm starved. How about if I order some Chinese takeout?"  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
"Willow? That sound okay to you?"  
  
"I'm really not very hungry. But I am very tired. If it's okay with you guys, I'd just like to go to bed, if you really want me to stay."  
  
"Of course we do." Phoebe said. "Why don't you take my room, and I'll bunk in with Paige. Come on, I'll show you where everything is."  
  
Before she turned to follow Phoebe, Willow said, "I'm really, REALLY sorry about everything. I don't know what else to say."  
  
"We know you are. You get a good night's sleep, and you'll feel better in the morning." Piper told her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next morning when they got up and went down to the kitchen they found a note from Willow, who had left hours earlier.  
  
Hi, As you can see, I used my magic to fix everything. No use having it if you can't do some good with it, right? I can't tell you how bad I feel about what I tried to do. I really thought I had my magic under control, but, obviously I didn't. But thanks to you guys, I'll work that much harder to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. Thank you for showing me what truly GOOD magic can do. And thank you for giving me those precious minutes with Tara.  
  
All my Love and all my Respect, Willow  
  
* * * * *  
  
Willow arrived back at Buffy's late that night, quietly came in through the back door and went upstairs to her room. But Buffy heard her come in and met her at the top of the stairs.  
  
"You're back awfully early. Is everything all right?"  
  
"Not really, but I'm okay."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"Nothing you want to talk about?"  
  
"Not now. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel more like it, but right now I just want to go to bed."  
  
"Sure. We can talk tomorrow."  
  
Willow smiled weakly and went into her bedroom and shut the door. She put her suitcase down then went to a chest of drawers and took out a sweater that had belonged to Tara. It still had the faint but delicious smell of her on it.  
  
Willow laid down on the bed and curled up in a ball, Tara's sweater clutched tightly to her breast.  
  
"Good night, my Love," she whispered, letting the tears fall. "Someday we'll be together again." 


End file.
